Haemophilus influenzae is a non-motile Gram negative bacterium. Man is its only natural host.
H. influenzae isolates are usually classified according to their polysaccharide capsule. Six different capsular types designated a through f have been identified. Isolates that fail to agglutinate with antisera raised against one of these six serotypes are classified as non typeable, and do not express a capsule.
The H. influenzae type b is clearly different from the other types in that it is a major cause of bacterial meningitis and systemic diseases. Non typeable H. influenzae (NTHi) are only occasionally isolated from the blood of patients with systemic disease.
NTHi is a common cause of pneumonia, exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, sinusitis and otitis media.
Otitis media is an important childhood disease both by the number of cases and its potential sequelae. More than 3.5 millions cases are recorded every year in the United States, and it is estimated that 80% of children have experienced at least one episode of otitis before reaching the age of 3 (1). Left untreated, or becoming chronic, this disease may lead to hearing loss that can be temporary (in the case of fluid accumulation in the middle ear) or permanent (if the auditive nerve is damaged). In infants, such hearing losses may be responsible for delayed speech learning.
Three bacterial species are primarily isolated from the middle ear of children with otitis media: Streptococcus pneumoniae, NTHi and M. catarrhalis. These are present in 60 to 90% of cases. A review of recent studies shows that S. pneumoniae and NTHi each represent about 30%, and M. catarrhalis about 15% of otitis media cases (2). Other bacteria can be isolated from the middle ear (H. influenzae type B, S. pyogenes, . . . ) but at a much lower frequency (2% of the cases or less).
Epidemiological data indicate that, for the pathogens found in the middle ear, the colonization of the upper respiratory tract is an absolute prerequisite for the development of an otitis; other factors are however also required to lead to the disease (3-9). These are important to trigger the migration of the bacteria into the middle ear via the Eustachian tubes, followed by the initiation of an inflammatory process. These other factors are unknown to date. It has been postulated that a transient anomaly of the immune system following a viral infection, for example, could cause an inability to control the colonization of the respiratory tract (5). An alternative explanation is that the exposure to environmental factors allows a more important colonization of some children, who subsequently become susceptible to the development of otitis media because of the sustained presence of middle ear pathogens (2).
Various proteins of H. influenzae have been shown to be involved in pathogenesis or have been shown to confer protection upon vaccination in animal models.
Adherence of NTHi to human nasopharygeal epithelial cells has been reported (10). Apart from fimbriae and pili (11-15), many adhesins have been identified in NTHi.
Among them, two surface exposed high-molecular-weight proteins designated HMW1 and HMW2 have been shown to mediate adhesion of NTHi to epithelial cells (16). Another family of high molecular weight proteins has been identified in NTHi strains that lack proteins belonging to HMW1/HMW2 family. The NTHi 115 kDa Hia protein (17) is highly similar to the Hsf adhesin expressed by H. influenzae type b strains (18). Another protein, the Hap protein shows similarity to IgA1 serine proteases and has been shown to be involved in both adhesion and cell entry (19).
Five major outer membrane proteins (OMP) have been identified and numerically numbered.
Original studies using H. influenzae type b strains showed that antibodies specific for P1 and P2 protected infant rats from subsequent challenge (20-21). P2 was found to be able to induce bactericidal and opsonic antibodies, which are directed against the variable regions present within surface exposed loop structures of this integral OMP (22-23). The lipoprotein P4 also could induce bactericidal antibodies (24).
P6 is a conserved peptidoglycan-associated lipoprotein making up 1-5% of the outer membrane (25). Later a lipoprotein of about the same mol. wt. was recognized, called PCP (P6 crossreactive protein) (26). A mixture of the conserved lipoproteins P4, P6 and PCP did not reveal protection as measured in a chinchilla otitis-media model (27). P6 alone appears to induce protection in the chinchilla model (28).
P5 has sequence homology to the integral Escherichia coli OmpA (29-30). P5 appears to undergo antigenic drift during persistent infections with NTHi (31). However, conserved regions of this protein induced protection in the chinchilla model of otitis media.
In line with the observations made with gonococci and meningococci, NTHi expresses a dual human transferrin receptor composed of ThpA and TbpB when grown under iron limitation. Anti-TbpB protected infant rats. (32). Hemoglobin/haptoglobin receptors have also been described for NTHi (33). A receptor for Haem: Hemopexin has also been identified (34). A lactoferrin receptor is also present in NTHi, but is not yet characterized (35).
A 80 kDa OMP, the D15 surface antigen, provides protection against NTHi in a mouse challenge model. (36). A 42 kDa outer membrane lipoprotein, LPD is conserved amongst Haemophilus influenzae and induces bactericidal antibodies (37). A minor 98 kDa OMP (38), was found to be a protective antigen, this OMP may very well be one of the Fe-limitation inducible OMPs or high molecular weight adhesins that have been characterized. H. influenzae produces IgA1-protease activity (39). IgA1-proteases of NTHi reveals a high degree of antigenic variability (40). Another OMP of NTHi, OMP26, a 26-kDa protein has been shown to enhance pulmonary clearance in a rat model (41). The NTHi HtrA protein has also been shown to be a protective antigen. Indeed, this protein protected Chinchilla against otitis media and protected infant rats against H. influenzae type b bacteremia (42)